The invention relates to a system and method for the transfer of digital data to a mobile device. More particularly, the invention is a system and method in which digital products may be ordered using an Internet capable cellular phone and downloaded to the cellular phone in a cost-effective manner.
With the explosion in Internet access and usage an increasing volume of business is occurring involving the purchase and receipt of digital products. Currently, a typical Internet user would have a browser installed in his local computer or server such as Internet Explorer(trademark) or Netscape(trademark). Using this browser, the user would access an Internet service provider, such as America-On-Line (AOL(trademark)), via a modem over the local public switched telephone network (PSTN). Once logged onto the Internet server, the user may utilize one of the many search engines, such as Yahoo(trademark) or Lyco(trademark), to specify search terms. The user may also use a web crawler, spider or robot to attempt to find a product, service or information desired. The search engine or web crawler would then respond with a list of web sites which matched the search terms the user provided. The user would then log onto a web site and view the products or services available for sale. If the user decides to buy the item from the web site, the firm operating the web site would frequently request a credit card number be entered by the user in order to pay for the product or service. Once the credit card charge is approved, the operator of the web site will then typically ship the item to the user. In the case where the item ordered is digital in format, such as software, graphics, text, video, or music, the item ordered maybe downloaded into the user""s PC, server, lap top, palm computer or other processor-based system.
With the advent of cellular phones, with and without wireless access protocol (WAP), a user may also xe2x80x9csurfxe2x80x9d the Internet and order goods and services directly through the WAP-capable phone or a processor-based system connected to the cellular phone in a similar manner as that used with a PC. Thus, a user may order goods and services from anywhere a cellular phone, satellite phone, or other type of mobile phone may operate. Therefore, a person could be sitting in the middle of a remote area, many miles away from another human being, let alone a telephone line, and order a video game from a web site on the other side of the planet and download it into his palm computer connected to a cellular or a standalone WAP or HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) capable phone and play the game on the spot.
However, there is a significant drawback to the use of a cellular phone to transfer a large amount of data and that is the amount of time it takes to transfer that data. It takes a very long time to transfer a large file of digital information using a cellular phone. This stems from the fact that the transfer rate for a cellular phone is relatively slow. Therefore, it would take a great deal of time to download a video, audio, text or software file using a cellular phone. This is generally not practical considering the high per minute cost of many calling plans most cellular users have contracted for. In some cases, the cellular charge for downloading a large digital file, such as a movie, would exceed the cost of the product itself. Thus, for all practical purposes, there exists no cost effective system or method for downloading a large digital product over a mobile device such as a cellular phone.
A new communications device has been proposed using what is called a Bluetooth protocol architecture which allows for high transfer rates of digital data over relatively short distances. This architecture is described in a white paper by Riku Mettala entitled xe2x80x9cBluetooth Protocol Architecture Version 1.0xe2x80x9d, dated Aug. 25, 1999, copyright Nokia Mobile Phones 1999, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone includes both a cellular telephone and a low-power radio frequency (LPRF) receiver and transmitter. This Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may act as three phones in one. Using its LPRF transmitter and receiver along with a base station connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may function as a cordless telephone. Further, using its LPRF capability the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may communicate directly to other Bluetooth protocol architecture telephones that are within range and function as a xe2x80x9cwalkie-talkiexe2x80x9d without incurring any charge. In addition, the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may operate as a cellular telephone.
The LPRF receiver and transmitter operates at a frequency band of 2.4 Ghz having an optimal range of within 10 meters to a maximum range of 100 meters. A gross data transfer rate of one million bits per second (Mbps) may be achieved using the LPRF capability of Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone. Therefore, the Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone may achieve high data transfer rates but only at short distances. Thus, the ability to transfer data at high rates using the Bluetooth architecture telephone phone is limited to under 100 meters of a bluetooth device. Further, when used in conjunction with a base station connected to a PSTN, a Bluetooth protocol architecture telephone is restricted by the speed of modem connecting the base station to the PSTN. Thus, no effective system and method is known for a mobile communications device to quickly download a large amount digital data in a cost-effective manner.
Therefore, what is needed are a system and method whereby large quantities of digital data can be quickly and inexpensively transferred to a mobile communications device. This system and method should be user-friendly, thereby further adding to Internet sales and business activity. This system and method should also support a business model that encourages both consumers and suppliers to use the system and method through availability of enhanced low-cost services to the consumer and enhanced sales to the supplier and retailer.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a method of ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device. This method starts by accessing an electronic shop server and ordering a digital product from the electronic shop server using the mobile device which has cellular phone capability. The method then identifies a hotspot network location where the digital product may be downloaded into the mobile device using a short range transceiver embedded in the mobile device. Thereafter, the mobile device detects a low power radio frequency signal generated by the hotspot network location. The digital product is then downloaded into the mobile device by the hotspot network location transmitting the digital product using the low power radio frequency signal to the short range transceiver of the mobile device.
Further, an embodiment of the present invention is a method of ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device. This method detects by using the mobile device the presence of a low power radio frequency signal generated by a hotspot network location. The method then selects from several digital products available for sale at the hotspot network location a digital product for purchase using the mobile device. The method then downloads the digital product into the mobile device using the low power radio frequency.
Still further, an embodiment of the present invention provides for a system for ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device. This system has a hotspot network for transmitting a low power radio frequency signal having a digital product encoded in the low power radio frequency signal. This system further has a mobile device having a short range transceiver for receiving the digital product encoded in the low power radio frequency signal and a memory for storing the digital product.
In addition, an embodiment of the present invention provides for a computer program executable by a computer and embedded on a computer readable medium for ordering and downloading digital products into a mobile device. This computer program uses a hotspot network code segment for transmitting a digital product encoded in a low power radio frequency signal. The computer program also has a mobile device code segment for receiving the digital product encoded in the low power radio frequency signal and storing the digital product in a memory.